Monday, August 1, 2016

A visit to a historical monument is always an exciting experience. It is a fascinating adventure. I had one such experience during the last summer vacations, when I visited Delhi.

With my familt, I reached Delhi by train. After some rest, we undertook a visit to Delhi. Delhi is a historical city. It has been called by different names in different periods of time. On one hand there are Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar, India Gate which narrate the glorious past of India; while Rashtrapati Bhawan, Lotus Temple, Parliament, to name a few, are the wonders of modern times.

We visited the Jantar Mantar first. Jantar Mantar was built in 1724 by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in Delhi. Jantar Mantar of Delhi, is an astronomical observatory with masonry instruments. Jantar Mantar in Delhi is a remarkable and curious creation of Raja Jai Singh II, the mathematician and astronomer king.

Jantar Mantar has instruments that can graph the path of the astronomical universe. Jantar Mantar means 'instrument for calculation.' There is a colossal Samrat Yantra at the periphery of Jantar Mantar. To the south of Samrat Yantra there is an amazing instrument called Jai Prakash.

Jantar Mantar is built of brick rubble that is plastered in lime. We saw the following instruments inside the Jantar Mantar of Delhi- Samrat Yantra, Jai Prakash, Ram Yantra, Niyati Chakra, Misra Yantra. All these instruments can be used for various astronomical calculations.

By noon, we had completed the tour of Jantar Mantar and returned back. I enjoyed my trip to the Jantar Mantar very much. It was really an unforgettable experience which apart from being intellectually rewarding gave us a glimpse of our country's proud history.